No Limit Poker Basics: Why Bet Sizing is very important

When you manage your chips correctly, you are able to maximize your gains on the table and control your loses. Pushing the right height of stack on the table will also help you manipulate your opponents on the table. Bet sizing is a critical part of your poker game, inability to play right in each hand will tell you that you have a big gaping leak in your strategy.

Money in the Pot

How much you will bet of course depends on how much is at stake. Before betting or raising, you should check out how much is in the pot. How much you will add to the pot will affect the decision of your opponents, and it is up for you to react to the incorrect or correct odds they call.

The ¾ of the Pot Rule

If you think you have a monster with your cards in No Limit Holdem then, by all means, go ¾ of the pot. If you want to make the field thin and see some opponents fold then this is the way to go. Making small bets might help your opponents outdraw you.

The situation can be different if you want to appear weak and lead other players into a trap.

Before the Flop Raise

When you are raising before the flop, you should consider shelling out about three or four times the amount of the big blind. You can also add some bet to it if there players before you who are limpers.

Betting will allow you to control the odds and catch your opponents off guard. Remember to check out the pot before doing anything on the table.